End of spring’s delights

Mentally surveying some of the delights of spring which are almost over, I recall with gratitude the striking little alpine (rockery) plant which is sold under the name of Arenaria Montana.

I have covered this in the past but seeing as how it is now in its sixth week of flowering (in all the cold and wet of late) a repeat mention would be advantageous to those interested in ground-cover plants. Best of all, it cost just €2.50 first day at a Co-Op outlet and it ‘roots as it goes’, meaning dozens of plants for those who care to use rooted off-cuts. Let me enumerate its attributes once more so that you too may delight in how it charms as it spreads. You could find yourself sourcing a plant for next year.

This quietly attractive plant forms a prostrate mat of tiny green leaves covered with masses of single white flowers on short stems from early spring to mid June or later. It requires a damp situation and will grow and spread willingly over the face of a damp rock or along a peaty bed. It is an unobtrusive plant, easy to eradicate if it becomes invasive, and although it can make a fine large clump it does so gently without harming any nearby plants which it may overrun. Arenaria Montana comes from the Balearics and other Mediterranean islands growing in shady areas out of direct sunlight. Thus we often fail to remember that the treasures of our own gardens are the weeds of other lands! Here at home, however, it will delight in our sunny-now-cloudy-later kind of weather. Propagation is easy; simply remove pieces which have rooted into the soil and use as new plants